Asia-Africa BlueTech​ Superhighway​ Boosting climate-resilient, nature-positive aquatic food production​

1. Asia-Africa BlueTech
Superhighway
Boosting climate-resilient, nature-positive
aquatic food production
October 9, 2023

2. Outline
• Introduction to the Asia-Africa BlueTech Superhighway Project
• Project structure and governance
• Independent Advisory Committee
• Expected outcomes and projected benefits
• Cross-cutting and gender approach
• Q&A Session

3. Why aquatic foods?
Provide micronutrient-
rich foods for 3.3 billion
people.
Aquatic foods can supply
essential micronutrients with
lower carbon footprint and far
fewer biodiversity impacts
than many land-based crops and
livestock.
Aquaculture is the fastest-
growing food production sector in
the world. Its production is set to
increase by 32% to 109 million
tons
AqFS identifying as one of seven
priority investments in agricultural
research by Experts and Scientific
Group of the 2021 UN Food Systems
Summit.
1 in every 2 workers in the primary and
secondary sector of fisheries and
aquaculture are women. They are crucial to
aquatic food systems, providing labour,
innovative ideas and entrepreneurship.
Aquatic foods are deeply
interconnected with the rest of the food
system – in human and livestock
diets, supply chains, and water
systems.
800 million people depend
on small scale fisheries and
aquaculture for their
livelihoods
Global demand for
aquatic foods has
doubled since 2000.

4. • The world faces an enormous challenge of feeding 9.8 billion
people by 2050.
• While aquatic foods offer viable and sustainable nutrition
solutions, coastal communities and habitats that provide such
foods are particularly vulnerable to climate change.
• Coastal ecosystems are being lost or damaged which both
negatively impacts communities’ food security and income,
and sometimes leads to increased GHG emissions, thereby
compromising the ability of various stakeholders to meet
climate adaptation and mitigation goals.
• Small-scale fisheries, which provide the majority of fish for
human consumption in developing countries, have limited to
no access to land tenure rights and are often poorly managed
at the national level, impacting their productivity and
sustainability.
Key Challenges

5. • The Asia-Africa BlueTech Superhighway (AABS), a 7-year project, aims to
transform aquatic food systems in Africa and Asia leveraging South-South
cooperation.
• The project will be delivered in two phases, targeting over 300,000 primary
beneficiaries.
• The BlueTech Superhighway aims to improve food and nutritional security,
create increased employment and income opportunities using nature-based
solutions and sustainably manage marine and coastal resources.
• The Asia-Africa BlueTech Superhighway aligns with the May 2022 UK
Government’s Strategy for International Development, contributing to SDGs
such as ending poverty and hunger, promoting gender equality, and tackling
climate change.
Delivering a triple win for nature, people, and climate

6. AWARD AMOUNT
Phase 2 (Year 5 - 7)
WP 1, 3, 4: Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines
WP 2: Ghana, Solomon Islands, Tanzania
TARGET COUNTRIES PHASE 2
£44.5 million
under the Climate and Ocean Adaptation and
Sustainable Transition Programme (COAST)
PROJECT TITLE
Asia –Africa BlueTech Superhighway
Project (AABS)
PROJECT DURATION
14 July 2023 – 31 March 2030
TARGET COUNTRIES PHASE 1
Phase 1 (Year 1 – 4)
WP 1: Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania
WP 2: Bangladesh, Kenya, and Nigeria
WP 3: Bangladesh, Kenya, and Mozambique
WP 4: Bangladesh, Mozambique, and Tanzania
PROJECT SUMMARY

7. Why a two-
continent
project?
Establishment of south-south cooperation between
countries in Asia and Africa to adapt and scale
promising technologies piloted on one continent
and implemented in another, thereby creating a
feedback loop that enables the continents to learn
from each other and leverage their lessons.

8. Through support from the UK government’s Blue Planet Fund, we will accelerate food and
nutrition security and livelihood opportunities under changing climate through the
conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems. We will do this through:
Our Goal and Approach
Space for
dialogue
Deploy
innovations
Generate
evidence
Knowledge
sharing

9. The BlueTech Superhighway will deploy four synergistic
work packages that assess, adapt, and scale evidence-
based methods across different contexts in Africa and
Asia.
Project Structure - 4 pillars
Incentive-
based marine
and coastal
ecosystem
protection and
management
Digital
information
systems for
effective
management of
small-scale
fisheries
Climate
smart food
processing
and storage
technologies
to reduce
food loss and
waste
Integrated
mariculture/i
ntegrated
multitrophic
aquaculture
WP1 WP2 WP3 WP4

10. Nigeria
Kenya
Bangladesh
Mozambique
Tanzania
WP1
WP2
WP3
WP4
knowledge-partner
countries
Countries of implementation per work package (WP)

11. Governance
In-Country Structure and Governance: WF Staff and
Partners in consultation with UK Posts
Independent
Advisory
Committee

12. The Independent Advisory Committee
Name Gender Country Organisation WP Field of Expertise
Prof. Ian Bryceson M Tanzania WIOMSA 1 Fisheries, conservation, community
development
Stuart Fulton M Mexico COBI 1
Digital development in fisheries, cooperatives
Dr Sloans Chimatiro M Malawi Consulting 1,2,3 Fisheries and aquaculture policy
Dr Ifesinachi Okafor-
Yarwood
F Nigeria/UK
University of St
Andrews
1/xcutting
Fisheries governance; maritime security
Prof. Maricela de la Torre
Castro
F Sweden
Stockholm
University
2,3,4 Mariculture and livelihoods in coastal east
africa
Prof. Dato’ Dr. Aileen Tan F Malaysia CMACS, USM 2,3 Marine sciences, specialising in mariculture
and conservation of molluscs.
Research Assistant Professor
Pallab Sarker
M Bangladesh/USA UC Santa Cruz 2,3 LCA of aquacutlure; feed technology;
sustainability transitions in aquatic foods
Professor Nitya Rao M UK/India UEA/NISD xcutting Gender; agrarian change; climate change;
coastal livelihoods
Professor Rashid Sumaila M Canada/Nigeria/Ghana
UBC Ocean
Center
xcutting Environmental economics; blue economy;
african fisheries policy
Dr Ingrid Van Puten F Australia CSIRO xcutting
Economics and environmental science -
behavioral economics to help address
fisheries and natural resource management
problems
The IAC has an
advisory role and
provides strategic
guidance for the
project.
Its advice will support
the project to be
implemented efficiently,
effectively, and in line
with the project
objectives, strategies,
and principles.
The IAC reports
directly to the Project
Leader and convenes
periodically to discuss

13. • Cost-effective and integrated seawater farming
techniques are widely adopted and sustainable
aquaculture production in coastal Africa is doubled.
• Innovative digital tools are scaled to bridge data gaps in
small-scale fisheries and inform the design of policy and
investment interventions that lead to equitable
outcomes.
• Incentive-based management of marine and coastal
areas of social, economic, and ecological significance is
accelerated to support livelihoods and restore habitats
and fish stocks.
• Data gaps in food loss and waste are filled, and suitable
technologies are deployed to minimize wastage –
thereby enhancing the availability of nutritious food and
creating economic opportunities for those who need it
most.
Outcomes we want

14. • An increase in aquatic food production of
500,000 MT in target countries, sustainably
increasing incomes of ~300,000 by 2030
• 2 million hectares brought under sustainable
management
• ~1 million MT of farmed fish produced with a
20% reduction in CO2 emission => this will save
1.1 MT CO2-eq/year
• 20% increase of fish stock (~1.4 million MT of
fish) in target countries. This will save 0.1652
MT CO2-eq/year (carbon sequestration)
Expected Benefits by 2030

15. Environmental health &
biodiversity target:
1.4 million hectares brought under
sustainable management
Climate adaptation &
mitigation:
~1 million MT of farmed fish will be
produced with a 20% reduction in CO2 -
emission => this will save 1.1 MT CO2-
eq/year
20% increase of fish stock (~1.4 million MT
of fish) in target countries. This will save
0.1652 MT CO2-eq/year (carbon
sequestration)
Gender equality, youth &
social inclusion target:
150,000 women benefiting from WorldFish
innovations and improve their income
permanently..
Poverty reduction,
livelihoods & jobs target:
300,000 people benefiting from WorldFish
innovations and improve their income
permanently.
Global and Local
Challenges
Work
Packages
Intermediate
Outcomes by 2027
Outcomes
by 2028
2030 Projected
benefits
Insufficient data to
guide proper decision-
making on how to track
and manage critical
coastal and fisheries
resources
Low use of innovations
for producing more food
with less environmental
impacts and more
nature-positive benefits
High rates of fish waste
and loss, especially
affecting women,
leading to adverse
socio-economic and
climate impacts
Poor management of
critical natural
resources within marine
and coastal ecosystems
Range of innovations
successfully used to
make aquatic food
systems more climate
resilient in Asia, with
applications to Africa
GENDER
INCLUSION:
Reach,
Benefits,
Empowerment,
Transform
WP1: Scaling PeskAAS
# Diagnostic analysis
# Stakeholder engagement
# Tool adaptation
# Testing and user-cases
# Deployment and ownership
# Sustainable plan definition
and monitoring
WP2: Scaling finfish-
seaweed-bivalve
production
# Comprehensive
environmental
assessments in 4 countries
# Farmer and Market
assessments
# Testing and pilot
technical solutions in
different geographies
# Scaling strategy
WP3:Scaling climate
smart technologies for
reducing food waste and
loss
# Understanding scale and
drivers of fish loss and waste in
5 countries
# Identify technologies and adapt
to contexts
# Identify and test new
technologies
# Scaling strategy and
deployment
WP4: Scaling incentive-
based conservation of
marine and coastal
ecosystems
# Assess, identify and pilot
incentive-based conservation
landscape methods in at least 4
countries
# Scaling strategy and
deployment
• PeskAAS is integrated into 4 country
data systems
• 4 country governments take
ownership of management of
PeskAAS
• In each country, at least one policy or
investment decision on sustainable
management of fisheries is improved
based on evidence provided by
PeskAAS
• 2,000 fishers (direct beneficiaries)
use PeskAAS vessel trackers
• At least one combination of finfish-
seaweed-bivalve production is
scaled in each country
• 50,000 people (at least 50% of whom
are women) utilize and benefit from
finfish-seaweed-bivalve production
• At least 10 coastal communities per
country are informed about the
methods and benefits of finfish-
seaweed-bivalve production
• At least one sustainable technology is
developed and piloted to minimize fish
loss and waste per country
• Adoption of new technologies in target
countries guide to reduce pre- and
post-harvest losses by at least 30%
• At least 40,000 people, mostly
women, obtain increased incomes by
using these technologies to improve
fish processing
• At least one incentive-based
conservation method is scaled per
country
• At least one marine or coastal areas
is partially restored as a result of the
application of the incentive-based
management
• At least two coastal communities per
country implement incentive-based
management, reaching 8,000
beneficiaries
PARTNERS
Projectionof benefits, ex-
ante evaluation, foresight
analysis and modeling help
to address global,regional
policyand economic drivers;
climate change; priorities
and opportunitiesfor
technologyand institutional
innovations
Outcomeevaluation to consolidateProject-
level learning on impact pathways and refine
theories of change
Scaling partners and stakeholders in target
countries use improved knowledge systems
and data to inform their investments within the
aquatic food system.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Improved management and co-development of
new sustainable development plans secure
rights and livelihood for over 100,000 small-
scale actors in aquatic food systems in target
countries.
2022 2027 2030
100,000 smallholder farmers and fishers have
their livelihoods sustained, and their incomes
increased through increased, more efficient
and sustainable production of aquatic foods
200,000 people in aquatic food systems in
target countries, including poor men, women
and youth, have new jobs and livelihood
opportunities from growing aquaculture sector
and more sustainable fishery production
Improved and sustainable farming systems
delivers fish, seaweed and other aquatic foods
with reduced greenhouse gas emissions and
improved water- and nutrient-use efficiency
per unit of production in target countries
Fisher community and farming households
have access to management and farming
technologies and systems that enable
adaptation to climate change risks and
extremes
Over 2,500 hectares of restored ecosystems
have increased through wider adoption of
more productive and equitable management of
natural resources at community and/or
government level in target countries
200,000 people, including poor men, women
and youth, in target countries have access to
new jobs and livelihood opportunities
associated to value chain and enterprise
development (same group as D)
Learning process
throughevaluation
and impact assessment

16. Q&A

17. THANK YOU